Cosplayer Jessi Schoon, as popular ‘90s anime character Sailor Jupiter from “Sailor Moon,” attended NatsuCon Sunday in Collinsville. Schoon said conventions like NatsuCon help build her confidence.

Cosplayer Jessi Schoon, as popular ‘90s anime character Sailor Jupiter from “Sailor Moon,” attended NatsuCon Sunday in Collinsville. Schoon said conventions like NatsuCon help build her confidence.

Photo: Katelyn Petrin|For The Telegraph

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NatsuCon, a convention or ‘con,’ was billed as an event intended to educate people about Japanese culture and pop media, including a multitude of activities that underscored the intention, such as the Maid Café, pictured. Maid Cafe is based on a popular Japanese restaurant concept in which servers dress up as maids and lavish guests with personal attention. less

NatsuCon, a convention or ‘con,’ was billed as an event intended to educate people about Japanese culture and pop media, including a multitude of activities that underscored the intention, such as the Maid ... more

Photo: Katelyn Petrin|For The Telegraph

Image 3 of 4

Many fans came to NatsuCon to meet Vic Mignogna, right, a voice actor and Christian singer with more than 200 acting credits to his name. Mignogna shared an array of anecdotes ranging from his encounters with semi-exotic animals to the time he unwittingly auditioned for the lead role in the animated series “Fullmetal Alchemist.” less

Many fans came to NatsuCon to meet Vic Mignogna, right, a voice actor and Christian singer with more than 200 acting credits to his name. Mignogna shared an array of anecdotes ranging from his encounters with ... more

Event chairman John Robert Nelson III’s goal was to throw a convention that educates, entertains and “makes your heart smile.”

Nelson billed the convention, or ‘con,’ as an event intended to educate people about — and celebrate — Japanese culture and pop media. The con activities underscored those intentions, such as the Maid Café, which is based on a popular Japanese restaurant concept where servers dress up as maids and lavish guests with personal attention.

Sci-fi fans and fantasy geeks of all stripes made their way through the doors. Many came to meet Vic Mignogna, a voice actor and Christian singer with more than 200 acting credits to his name.

Mignogna shared an array of anecdotes ranging from his encounters with semi-exotic animals to the time he unwittingly auditioned for the lead role in the animated series “Fullmetal Alchemist.”

Towards the end of his question-and-answer session, he took a moment to get serious about his recent project, a fan-created Star Trek follow-up called “Star Trek Continues.”

“There’s a reason that (Star Trek) has resonated for 50 years,” Mignogna said. “It’s not because of battles in space; it’s not because of phaser fighting. It’s because they talked about human stories and challenges that we face. Moral questions and ethical dilemmas and social issues.”

Mignogna’s remark resonated with cosplayer Jessi Schoon, as Sailor Jupiter, a character from a popular ‘90s anime.

“’Sailor Moon’ was a show for me that was there when I had a hard time,” Schoon explained. “I could open up a manga and see these girls that turned into superheroes that were fighting crime and were being positive role models. They help people like me who were shy and scared, to help them become less that, you know?”

Conventions like NatsuCon provide a great way to celebrate newfound confidence, she said.

She said she wishes she could attend more, but it’s expensive. She saved for months in order to buy merchandise at NatsuCon, which included a bag and plushies.

But for Schoon, the cost was worth it.

“Cons are family,” said Schoon, who met friends and her boyfriend at such events.

Nelson’s own reasons for hosting NatsuCon, which was discontinued by its previous managers in 2014, were similar to Schoon’s.

“I started going to conventions for wanting to be around my friends, because I knew they also liked anime and manga and seeing the live action films and talking to voice actors and going to panels,” Nelson noted.

Manga is a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels. Nelson hopes the convention will continue to grow, educating people about Japanese culture and giving fans a place to have fun, he said.

NatsuCon also hosted a costume competition, in which popular voice actor Jason Charles Miller, who also is a musician, coaxed a crowd of attendees to sing the Pokemon theme song.

For Schoon, group experiences make cons fun.

“Yeah, we’re weird for dressing up,” she said. “This is a place where I can be me.”

Katelyn Petrin is a freelance writer and photographer for the Telegraph.